---
title: AVCaptureDeviceDescriptor
framework: AVKit
role: symbol
role_heading: Class
platforms: [iOS 27.1+, iPadOS 27.1+]
path: avkit/avcapturedevicedescriptor
---

# AVCaptureDeviceDescriptor

An object that identifies a capture device and is safe to pass between actors.

## Declaration

```swift
class AVCaptureDeviceDescriptor
```

## Mentioned in

Choosing a camera by the direction it faces

## Overview

Overview A descriptor is a Sendable representation of a capture device. An AVCaptureDeviceDirectionCoordinator object reports descriptors on the main actor, where the capture APIs in AVFoundation shouldn’t run. Pass a descriptor to a background actor and create the AVCaptureDevice there. Read its properties on the main actor to update your interface. You don’t create AVCaptureDeviceDescriptor objects directly. An AVCaptureDeviceDirectionMap object reports the cameras facing each direction as arrays of descriptors.

## Topics

### Identifying the device

- [uniqueID](avkit/avcapturedevicedescriptor/uniqueid.md)
- [localizedName](avkit/avcapturedevicedescriptor/localizedname.md)

### Inspecting the device’s characteristics

- [deviceType](avkit/avcapturedevicedescriptor/devicetype.md)
- [mediaTypes](avkit/avcapturedevicedescriptor/mediatypes.md)
- [position](avkit/avcapturedevicedescriptor/position.md)

## Relationships

### Inherits From

- [NSObject](objectivec/nsobject-swift.class.md)

### Conforms To

- [CVarArg](swift/cvararg.md)
- [CustomDebugStringConvertible](swift/customdebugstringconvertible.md)
- [CustomStringConvertible](swift/customstringconvertible.md)
- [Equatable](swift/equatable.md)
- [Hashable](swift/hashable.md)
- [NSObjectProtocol](objectivec/nsobjectprotocol.md)
- [Sendable](swift/sendable.md)
- [SendableMetatype](swift/sendablemetatype.md)

## See Also

### Camera facing direction

- [Choosing a camera by the direction it faces](avkit/choosing-a-camera-by-the-direction-it-faces.md)
- [AVCaptureDeviceDirectionCoordinator](avkit/avcapturedevicedirectioncoordinator.md)
- [AVCaptureDeviceDirectionMap](avkit/avcapturedevicedirectionmap.md)